CHANDRAYAAN 1

India made the next giant leap in its space program early with the launch of the country's first deep space mission, a probe to circle the moon with science gear from India, Europe and the United States. The probe flew into space aboard a beefed-up Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, a 146-foot-tall [44-m-tall] rocket originally built to haul Earth observation satellites into orbit. The PSLV flew east from the launch site, propelling the spacecraft to a velocity of more than 20,500 mph [33,000 kph] and reaching an initial orbit with a high point of 14,205 miles [22,860 km] and a low point of 158 miles [254 km]. The inclination was about 17.9 degrees, according to the Indian Space Research Organization. Plans call for Chandrayaan 1 to release a 64-pound [29-kg] impactor around Nov. 15 for a suicidal nosedive into the moon. The trip from orbit to the lunar surface will take about a half-hour, and the small craft will relay imagery, altitude information and spectral data back to Earth through the Chandrayaan mother ship.